Stop Slut Shaming

As the weather gets warmer, I’ve seen more and more posts like this on Facebook about girls in high school being sent home for the clothes they are wearing:

It makes sense, to be upset because you’re getting in trouble for wearing a strapless shirt, or your bra straps are showing, or you’re wearing ripped jeans. The only thing that this is telling girls is that their shoulders are sexual and their knee caps are distracting. Meanwhile, guys can kind of wear whatever they want. And then I see comments like this:

Why is it okay to assume and call high schoolers, or anyone for that matter, a slut? You can’t tell girls that they won’t be respected because they’re proud of their bodies and they enjoy dressing up to make themselves feel pretty in a world where everyone is telling you you’re too fat, too skinny, and now apparently, too slutty. What constitutes dressing as a hooker and looking like a hoe? Because you can see part of my stomach or because my cleavage is showing? Body parts that are literally just that – body parts.

I support dressing appropriately for things like work and school, just because it’s expected in that environment. But stop telling girls they’re too sexual because their outfits don’t fit the dress code. Stop calling women sluts and hoes because they’re proud of what they wear and how they feel. Stop slut shaming. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to worry about all the insecurities and pressure girls face once they leave high school and join the real world.

Published by Rosie Culture

I graduated from Rowan University in 2015! I majored in Advertising, minored in Journalism, and concentrated in New Media. I am a social media enthusiast and am especially passionate about Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. When I'm not scrolling through pictures of pugs, pinning vegetarian recipes, or trying to be funny in 140 characters or less; I'm the Communications Specialist at a non profit! Did you guys know you can't make a career out of complaining about your life and tagging people in pictures of sloths?
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5 thoughts on “Stop Slut Shaming”

I have learned this lesson the hard way. I used to call a girl named Jan a ‘slut’ behind her back. I went on a trip with our Spanish club and she was my roommate. I felt so bad, once I got to know her well, that she was NOT a slut. I had to go back and tell all my friends to be ‘nice’ to her and try to understand how others feel when they act or dress inappropriately. It may be to get attention since no one cares at home about them!

I agree that it is completely wrong to call girls/women derogatory names such as “slut” and “hoe,” and I think that we live in an unfair, sexist society where only women receive flack while men can get away with just about any kind of sexual behavior. However, when it comes to the way some women dress, I think the basic idea behind what people in that Facebook post were saying has some validity to it.

Yes, it’s more than alright for a woman to be proud of her body, but there are only a few situations where it is okay for her to flaunt it publicly without making it seem like she is trying to attract attention to herself. The main time when it’s appropriate to wear revealing clothing is when she is at the pool or beach, not when she’s shopping at a mall or whatever. Even in a “casual” situation, wearing “booty shorts” or even a crop top will only raise a few eyebrows instead of giving off a good impression.

Here’s why: As unfair as it may be, unlike men, women have the disadvantage of having a body part associated with sex and the reproductive system dangling from their chests. People may try to argue that a body part made to feed babies shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of, which sounds like it should be true. But the fact remains that men are mentally and biologically wired to view breasts (as well as rear ends) as an indicator that a woman is suited to have children. Fully developed breasts indicate that a woman is able to care for a baby, and wide hips show that she is physically able to carry a baby to full term. Therefore, when a woman wears clothing that purposely accentuates these assets, whether she is aware of it or not she is sending off a signal that she is sexually available. It’s just how the human mind works.

Even as a woman myself, I find revealing clothing in most situations to be distasteful. Sure, there are times when wearing a revealing dress, for instance, can be incredibly sexy, but that’s because dresses are made to accentuate a woman’s beauty. Shorts that are so short that they can pass as underwear or tops that end just below a woman’s bosom only make her look – for lack of a better term – trashy. I myself feel incredibly uncomfortable trying on an outfit that reveals too much skin, so I tend to avoid those types of clothing.

The bottom line is, there are plenty of ways a woman can flaunt her physical beauty without giving off the wrong impression. As a coworker of mine once said, “Seeing a woman walk by wearing very little only makes me automatically think that I want to be in bed with her, whereas a woman who dresses in a tastefully modest way can make me attracted to her in the right way, by making me want to talk to her and get to know her better as a person.” While looks might not mean everything, first impressions are still incredibly important, and most of the time the first part of a person we’re introduced to is their outward appearance.

I completely agree. It is pretty unfair how everything on a woman is sexualized, but I don’t think we need to objectify middle school and high school girls to it. Especially in instances when they’re getting sent home for wearing a tank top that shows too much of their shoulders or yoga pants. The double standard is very tiring but that’s how society is.